Similar to the problems found in America, Rome also faced many problems.  Some of the problems that Rome faced were concerning wealth distribution, gender equality, substance abuse, and moral judgement and honesty.   Juvenal’s Satire III portrays many of these problems.

Rome regarded wealth as a very important attribute.   While today in the United States wealth is important, it is not as crucially important as it was to the Romans.   Romans would have multiple dining rooms, live in huge houses surrounded by a courtyard, and their homes would be furnished with riches.   The wealthy would look down upon the poor people or people that were housed in “insulae”.   “Of all the woes of luckless poverty none is harder to endure than this, that it exposes men to ridicule” (Juvenal 148-149).  Here poverty is regarded as the most hard to endure and it mocks the people that are not wealthy.   Romans believed that wealth was very significant and determined who a man was.  “They do not easily rise whose abilities are repressed by poverty at home”.

In Rome women were regarded as lowly and did not have huge roles.   Women could not act in plays and could not be involved in politics.  Ancient Roman society as a whole was based on a patriarchal social structure.  Men were rulers and women were considered as almost nothing.

In roman society, Romans would be dishonest in daily life and also would commit adultery.  It would be common to see men have affairs and mistresses.  Men were dishonest and women could not trust them.

Roman society would eat, drink, and be merry.   While ancient Romans did not use marijuana or other drugs, they did drink a lot.   “Your drunken bully —  passes a night of torture”.      In many instances, wine and strong drinks would be a way to celebrate. Drinking was very common around Romans and so it was a large problem that many people would get drunk.